Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a driver convenience system and a method for determining a vertical angle abnormality of a radar in the driver convenience system, and more particularly, to a driver convenience system and a method for determining a vertical angle abnormality of a radar in the driver convenience system, which determines whether a vertical angle abnormality occurs in a radar by using a preset required mount angle range and a vertical angle estimated based on a maximum detection distance between a vehicle and a stationary object in vehicle-ahead information acquired by performing monitoring ahead of the vehicle from the radar.
Description of the Related Art
Recently, more vehicles have been equipped with a radar. An electronic control unit for a vehicle can calculate a distance, a relative speed, and an angle between a host vehicle and an object around the host vehicle, based on information output from a radar mounted on the host vehicle.
The vehicle equipped with the radar may provide various safety functions or convenient functions by using the distance, the relative speed, and the angle between the host vehicle and the object around the host vehicle.
For example, a driver convenience system may implement a collision avoidance function, an adaptive cruise function, or the like, by measuring a distance, a relative speed, and an angle between a host vehicle and an object adjacent to the host vehicle, based on information received from a radar mounted on the host vehicle.
Since the radar mounted on the host vehicle plays an important role in implementing various functions, the reliability of the information received from the radar is also important.
Since the radar is mounted on the vehicle, various shocks may be applied to the radar during the traveling of the vehicle or due to several causes. Thus, the radar may be deviated from an original mount position.
When the radar is deviated from the original mount position, the accuracy of the detection values may be lowered. Thus, various methods have been used to recognize or compensate for the inaccuracy of the detection values by using detected information. When a problem occurs in a vertical angle of the radar, it is difficult to detect a vertical angle abnormality by just using vehicle-ahead information detected by the radar during the traveling of the vehicle.
In particular, since the radar having the vertical angle abnormality is directed not frontward but downward or upward, the radar may recognize an inaccurate front distance. In this case, the radar may detect vehicles ahead late or may not detect vehicles ahead, and an existing driver convenience system may cause quick braking or collision accidents accordingly.
In addition, the vertical angle abnormality of the radar can be detected by mounting an additional sensor, but most vehicles are not equipped with the additional sensor because of an increase in costs due to the addition of the sensor.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved driver convenience system capable of determining whether a vertical angle abnormality occurs in a radar without installing separate additional sensors therein.